How a volcanic eruption frames the pandemic in the Philippines
Shortly before the COVID-19 pandemic took hold in the Philippines, a volcano about 31 miles south of Manila erupted on a quiet Sunday afternoon in January 2020, after 47 years of fitful rest. The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) immediately raised risk levels and informed the public of a moderate level of volcanic activity. When the volcano’s ash explosions became stronger, the organization warned “of imminent hazardous eruption.” The government immediately undertook forced evacuation of thousands of families from the volcano island and villages surrounding Taal lake, as it declared those ashfall-covered areas surrounding the volcano as no man’s land.
